Chemotherapy is the major method of treatment for acute leukemia to date, while intensive chemotherapy may impair immunity. We previously reported that leukemia patients were more susceptible to COVID-19 than the overall population. However, for COVID-19 recovered patients with leukemia, the impacts of intensive chemotherapy on the immune memory of COVID-19 are unknown. This study characterized the changes in immune cells and SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in acute leukemia patients, who underwent chemotherapy after recovering from COVID-19. The study enrolled three groups of individuals. One group was a total of three acute leukemia patients, who recovered well from COVID-19 before the last cycle of chemotherapy. The other two groups were six COVID-19 recovered healthy people, and six normal uninfected healthy people, respectively. Levels of B cells, T cells, and NK cells in peripheral blood were analyzed by multiparameter flow cytometry. Besides, the SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were monitored. The results showed that B cells were severely decreased after chemotherapy, especially memory B cells. Most of the T cells and NK cells showed only minor changes after chemotherapy, except for γδ T cells. The serum levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were not significantly affected after chemotherapy in two leukemia patients. However, interestingly, one leukemia patient’s SARS-CoV-2 IgM showed dramatically increase, suggesting possible loss of serological memory after chemotherapy. These findings raised the concern for the stability of immune memory against SARS-CoV-2 during chemotherapy and the choice of anti-leukemia treatment in the COVID-19 pandemic.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Lymphocytes, antibody, Chemotherapy, immune memory, leukemia, 【초록키워드】 Treatment, SARS-CoV-2, Immunity, T cells, COVID-19 pandemic, B cells, NK cell, memory B cells, flow cytometry, memory, Peripheral blood, B cell, T cell, stability, SARS-CoV-2 antibody, Impact, Patient, serological, change, Intensive, patients, SARS-CoV-2 IgM, Immune cell, Serum level, MOST, uninfected, COVID-19 recovered patient, susceptible, enrolled, analyzed, affected, significantly, healthy, reported, raised, characterized, changes in, individuals, two group, Level, impair, three group, recovering from COVID-19, the SARS-CoV-2, 【제목키워드】 memory, lymphocyte, Impact, serological, recovered COVID-19 patient,